Just when it seemed that the YEAH! couldn’t get any better, the local youth organization is taking its programs to new heights.

Youth Empowerment through Arts & Humanities (YEAH!) recently announced collaborations with Central Magnet School and The Walnut House for its music and arts programming for young people. In fact, the non-profit is now calling Central Magnet School its home, after having bounced around from its former locations on the square and near the skating rink in Murfreesboro.

YEAH! is a local youth arts organization dedicated to providing experiences in the arts for young people ages 10-17, believing that the arts and performance can empower youth to become creative, productive and confident members of our community.  YEAH! strives to create a connected creative community.

According to a news release, Central Magnet principal Dr. John Ash and the Rutherford County School Board have approved YEAH!’s use of two classrooms in the annex at Central Magnet School for after school and weekend youth arts education classes.

YEAH!’s year-round Rock Block program kicked off its first session inside the classrooms in early January. Young musicians between the ages of 10 and 17 who want to learn to play an instrument in the context of a rock and roll band are invited to join in for the fun.

Additionally, YEAH! also announced a collaborative relationship with The Walnut House of Murfreesboro, located at 116 N. Walnut St. Owner Nathan Adam has generously offered to house YEAH!’s Recording Arts programming and the all-ages shows that YEAH! produces for its members, students and the local music community.

“This collaboration will allow YEAH!’s Rock Block bands access to professional recording studios and professional recording engineers so that they can record their music and have CDs to sell or to give away to their friends and families,” the news release states. “It will also allow YEAH! students to enroll in recording arts classes taught by these professional engineers in these professional recording studios, and will provide a professional, age-appropriate venue for YEAH! showcases and all ages shows in which YEAH! students and other local bands can perform.”

The release went on to state that “these collaborative relationships are the hallmark of the local arts community’s newest efforts to thrive in difficult economic times while continuing to provide quality arts programming for young people.  It is YEAH!’s goal to invest as much as possible in its programming, its students, and its teachers so that as many young people as possible have the opportunity to learn to express themselves artistically.  YEAH!’s collaborations with these community organizations mirror its philosophy of encouraging young artists to work together collaboratively as bands.”

For more information, visit www.yeahintheboro.org, email artsempoweryouth@gmail.com or call 615-849-8140.

LIST OF YEAH! PROGRAMS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE:

Monday—Group Homework Help, free with membership in YEAH ($15 /month); private tutoring available by arrangement with teacher at $20/hour—to be taught by MTSU senior, Justin Sewak, at Central Magnet School, 3:00-4:30 p.m.

Monday—Group Visual Arts classes, free with membership in YEAH ($15/month); private lessons available by arrangement with teacher at $20/hour—to be taught by professional artist and art teacher, Paige Ridley, 4:00-5:00 p.m. at Central Magnet School

Thursday—Group Acting classes, free with membership in YEAH ($15/month); to be taught by theatre arts teacher, Pat Blankenship, 4:00-5:30 p.m. at Central Magnet School

Saturday—Rock Block! Our signature year-round music program that teaches music in a collaborative band setting; Winter session has already begun but registration is available for the Spring session to begin in early March; Rock Block takes place every Saturday at Central Magnet School, and currently the cost is $80/8 week session.

Recording Arts Classes—to be taught by the professional sound engineers at The Walnut House in a semi-private setting (2 students/class).  Cost will be $100 for an 8-week class session, and will culminate with the recording of a live band.  Day and time to be established by appointment.

Youth Speaks Nashville—will bring its Spoken Word Poetry workshop to Murfreesboro, and YEAH! is proud to host them for the second consecutive year for this exciting art form that includes words, rhythms and emotion; begins mid-February and continues  for 4 weeks through mid-March, with a showcase “Slam” scheduled for Friday, March 11!; these workshops are free to any and all who want to attend, space permitting, on a first come, first serve basis.

The following classes are in the planning stages and should come on line by March:

Videography/filmmaking—a collaboration between YEAH! and the Murfreesboro Parks and Rec Cultural Arts Department; to be taught by degreed and experienced filmmakers at Central Magnet School; time, date and price to be determined

Screenprinting—So many ways to screenprint these days….we’ll explore them all with a screen printer student turned passionate teacher at Central Magnet School; time and date to be determined; Free with YEAH membership

Culinary arts—This class may be made available if there are at least five students who enroll; time and place TBD, based on interest; this class will be taught by a licensed commercial chef, and the tuition will be $80 for an 8-week session, plus a $20 materials fee, but here’s the good news….you get to cook and eat the materials!

Online Safety and Social Media basics—This class may be made available if there are at least five students who enroll; time and dates TBD, based on interest; this class will be taught by professional web designer and social media marketing specialist, Karen Burton, and the tuition will be $80 for an 8-week session; this course is essential to children and preteens who are getting ready to explore the world of Facebook, Twitter and Youtube (among others), and also great for teens who want to learn more indepth uses of the same sites; will teach online safety do’s and don’t’s, how to set privacy controls on Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets, as well as other essential web basics; bring your laptop or use one of our computers (Mac and PC users welcome); private lessons available by arrangement with teacher at $20/hour in Photoshop, Webdesign, Microsoft Office & more